William a



(No Model.)

W. A. KONEMAN;

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HEATING WITH FLUID FUEL. No. 469,857. Patented Maul, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. KONEMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CHICAGO HEAT STORAGE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

METHOD OF AN D APPARATUS FOR HEATING WITH FLUID FUEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,857, dated March 1, 1892.

Application filed February 25, 1891. Serial No. 382,773. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. KONEMAN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, In the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of and Apparatus for Heating with Fluid Fuel, of which thefollowing is a specification.

In the use of heat on alarge scale in manufacturing generally, as for generating steam, drying, annealing, and the like, wherein the use is subject to interruptionsay for the noon-hour or where there are only day or only night runs-in again starting up after such an intermission, owing to the cooling off of the apparatus, there is great waste of fuel, and, besides, the apparatus is injuriously affected by the very material variation in temperature to which it is subjected.

The object of my improvement is to provide for so controlling the heat-supply to the object to be heated and the condition in temperature of the apparatus through the medium of which the heat isimparted to the said object that the minimum waste of fuel shall result in again starting up after a periodical cessation, that the temperature of the apparatus shall not be materially lowered during cessation, and that upon resuming the steamgenerating or other operation shall practically take place instantly.

To these ends my invention consists in the method I pursue; and it also consists in the construction of the apparatus I employ for practicing it, all as hereinafter more particularly set forth.

The accompanying drawing shows my improved apparatus by a broken view in longitudinal sectional elevation.

The illustration presents my improvement as applied to a steam-boiler surmounting the heating apparatus, because it is in connection with the generation of steam particularly that I use it, and because it is especially designed therefor, though I do not of course limit my improvement to any particular object as the one to be ultimately heated. For convenience, however, the remainder of the description is confined to the use of my improvement in 50 heating a steam-boiler.

A is a furnace having a shell B of suitable form and material, and in the upper portion of which is supported a steam-boiler C, shown as of the tubular variety. At the rear end of the shell B is the stack D. A diaphragm E,

front wall 1" thereof, (which should be provided with air-openings, as indicated,) thus leaving below the forward end of the boiler a mixing-chamber F, into the base of which leads the inlet G for the fuel-supply. The diaphragm E terminates at its forward end in a perforated deflector E, formed of fire-brick or any suitable refractory material and which inclines downward toward the mouth of the inlet G preferably at such an angle that if extended it would meet the said mouth at or about at its center. Between the deflector E and wall ris the vertical passage 1*", leading from the inlet G to the boiler-containing chamber. Below the diaphragm E is a heat-storing pile H of interstitially-arranged non-combustible material, preferably fire-brick, and upon the diaphragm may be provided a similar but shallower pile H. The stack D communicates from its base through a passage I with the heat-storage chamber H, and the passage I communicates controllably through an opening (1 therein with the air-supply, (represented as being the surrounding atmosphere) the control being efiected through the medium of a slide-valve 19, adapted to be adjusted into the position indicated by dotted lines to cover the opening q, and thereby open the passage through the stack D or to close such passage and open the air-inlet g,

as shown by the full-line representation. Obviously other valve arrangements for ef- 9o feoting such control may be provided Without departure from my invention.

From the outlet end of the boiler C leadsa flue K for conducting the products of combustion to the stack D, the passage through 9 5 the fluebeing controllablethrough the medium of a suitable valve 0.

The operation is as follows: The fuel employed is essentially fluid fuel, either in a liquid or gaseous state, and may be introroo duced into the mixing-chamber F and there in ignited. I prefer, however, to introduce supplemental storage-pile I-I.

the fuel by way of the inlet G, and to that end connect the aforesaid mixing-chamber through the medium of the inlet withthe apparatus presented in my application for Letters Patent of the United States, filed concurrently herewith on the 25th day of February, 1891, Serial No. 382,774, wherein a fuel-gas is produced from coal. The fuel-gas form of the fuel referred to enters the chamber F in a hot condition, and if the valves 19 and 0 be in the positions in which they are respectively illustrated by the full lines the draft will be, as indicated by the full-line arrows, through the boiler-dues and flue K to the stack D, causing the fuel-supply to be drawn upward through the passage r over the deflector E and air to be drawn through the opening (1 and pile H into the chamber F, in which it passes upward through the interstitial deflector and mixes with the fuel, the products of combustion of which heat the boiler, and in passing to the fines therein also heat the Whenever it is desired to interrupt the generation of steam the valve 0 is closed and the valve 19 adjusted to cover the air-inlet opening q and open the passage through the stack D. The result is that the draft is directed, as indicated by the dotted arrows, through the storage-pile H to the base of the stack and draws the supply of the hot products of combustion admitted to the chamber F under the deflector E through the interstitial pile II, thereby imparting to the latter an intense heat, in fact reducing it to a condition of incandescence, and from which of course the diaphragm E is also maintained hot. For the sake of economy, during the period of cessation referred to the supply of fuel for heating the storage-chamber H should be regulated to or about to the quantity necessary for maintaining its incandescent condition. Thus when the period of interruption ceases, to start again the steam-generation it is only necessary to adjust the valves 19 and 0 to the positions in which they are respectively illustrated by full lines, when the fuel-supply is directed accordingly, and the air-supply, by passing through the storagechamber H, becomes intensely heated before comminglingywith the fuel, producing a flame of a higher temperature, and thus obtaining the very desirable result of enabling steam to be made with the greatest rapidity at the beginning of the operation, when the amount required of steam is almost invariably the greatest. F urthermore,the radiated heat from the storage maintains the apparatus at a sufficiently high temperature to obviate subjection thereof to the injurious effect of great variation in temperature.

It will also be noticed that the construction of apparatus presented affords the advantage with Valves. Furthermore, my present 1mprovemcut affords a means of economiz ngby utilizing the gas from the producer in my aforesaid concurrent application, since the latter cannot by its very nature be shut off completely in operating, so that the gas beingproduced by it is always serv ceable for the purpose of my present invention.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The method of conserving heat 1n the surroundings of an object to be heated dur ng interruption in the operation thereof, wh ch consists in generating heated gases, heating air by passing it through a heated refractory body, and mixing the air so heated with the said gases and directing the hot products of combustion against the object to be heated, interrupting the supply to the said ob ect of the hot products of combustion and storing the heat thereof for heating the air-supply, when the operation is again resumed by deflecting the products of combustion from their course to thesaid object to be heated against the saidrefractory body, substantially as described.

2. In combination,a shell containing an 1nterstitial pile of incombustible material atfording a heat-storage chamber and containing a mixing-chamber, a boiler-containing chamber over the said chambers, a gas-inlet leading into the mixing-chamber at the forward end of the heat-storage chamber and having communication with the boiler-containing chamber, a stack, a flue connecting the boiler-containing chamber with the stack and containing a valve, a flue leading fromthe rear end of the storage-chamber to the stack and provided with an air-inlet, and means for alternately opening communication of the stack and air-inlet with the heat-storage chamber, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination,a shell containing an 1nterstitial pile of incombustible material affording a heat-storage chamber and contain ing a mixing-chamber, the said interstitial pile terminating at its forward end in an interstitial deflector extending into the mixingchamber, a boiler-containing chamber over the said chambers, a gas-inlet leading into the mixing-chamber and having communication withthe boiler-containing chamber, a stack, a flue connecting the boiler-containing chamber with the stack and containing a valve, a flue leading from the storage chamber to the stack, an air-inlet leading to the rear end of the heat-storage chamber, and means for alternately opening communication of the stack and air-inlet with the heat-storage chamber, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination, a shell B, containing a diaphragm E, extending from its rear wall toward its front wall, a boiler supported above the diaphragm, an interstitial pile H of incombustible material affording a heat-storage IO 13 for the stack and air-inlet, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination, a shell B, having an inlet G near the base of its front wall 4" and containing a diaphragm E, extending from its rear wall, an interstitial pile H of incombustible material below the diaphragm and a similar pile H surmounting it, a mixing-chamber F between the forward end of the pile H and wall 1*, a gas-inlet G, leading to the mixing-chamber, an interstitial deflector E extending from the diaphragrnE toward the mlet G and forming a passage 9*, a boiler 0, supported over the diaphragm and mixingchamber, a stack D, an air-passage I between the pile H and base of the stack and provided with the inlet q, a flue K for leading the products of combustion from the boiler to the stack, and valves for the flue K, stack D, and air-inlet q, the whole being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as described.

WILLIAM A. KONEMAN.

In presence of J. W. DYRENFORTH, M. J. FRosT. 

